The present invention relates generally to beverage containers and, more particularly, to insulated beverage containers with closable lids.
Personal beverage containers, such as coffee tumblers, mugs, and the like, are used by beverage lovers everywhere. Although such personal beverage containers have traditionally been primarily for use at fixed locations, such as at home or at the office, more and more frequently, consumers are finding it desirable to have a beverage during transitions, for example, while traveling from home to work or during driving excursions. Specialty coffee stores serving premium coffees and other beveragesxe2x80x94for example, those sold under the Starbucks(copyright) trademarkxe2x80x94are finding widespread popularity.
Certain considerations are particularly relevant when the user intends to consume the beverage, at least partially, while traveling from one place to another. For example, it is typically desirable to maintain the temperature of the beverage, i.e., to keep hot beverages hot and/or cold beverages cold. Oftentimes the consumer will purchase the beverage at one location and travel to a second, possibly distant location, to consume the beverage. It is desirable that the beverage be maintained close to the preferred temperature for sufficient periods of time. Also, it is generally desirable to include a lid in order to reduce the likelihood of splash or spillage of the beverage during travel. Finally, particularly for reusable beverage containers, the container must be rugged enough to withstand the inevitable bump or fall.
Very often personal beverage containers are designed to be used once and then disposed of. Disposable cups with lids are well known in the art. Many consumers, however, prefer a beverage container that is sturdier than these disposable cups and that can be cleaned and reused. Another advantage of reusable beverage containers is that it reduces the burden on landfills and the like by reducing the use of disposable cups and lids. Reusable beverage containers are also known in the art and are frequently made from metal, glass, and/or plastic.
When a reusable beverage container is intended for use while traveling, it is usually provided with a lid that includes some mechanism that permits the user to consume the beverage without removing the lid. For example, the lid may simply include a small aperture, similar to the lid design on disposable beverage containers. In order to further reduce the likelihood of spillage, and to improve the insulating properties of the container, a mechanism such as a sliding plate or a removable stopper may be provided to close the small aperture when desired. However, such devices typically will still allow some spillage or leakage, for example, if the reusable beverage container is inverted. Although solid lids, i.e., lids that must be removed to access the contents of a container, can provide a very good seal, it is quite inconvenient to have to remove a lid that must then be carried separately. Moreover, a removable lid is subject to becoming separated from the reusable container and potentially lost. Therefore, it is useful to have a lid for a reusable beverage container that permits the user to access the contents of the container without removing the lid, wherein the lid is also capable of providing a good seal to hold the liquid in the reusable beverage container.
Valved lids for reusable beverage containers have been contemplated wherein the container lids are capable of providing a good seal. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,960,218 to Toida et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,967 to Satomi et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,966 to Won all disclose various valved lids for bottle-type containers. These patents all describe devices that provide a convenient push-button mechanism for opening and closing the valve. In all of the disclosed devices, however, the valve itself is located at the very bottom of the lid assembly, and therefore even when the valve is in the closed position, a relatively deep channel remains, open at the top, in which fluids or other debris may accumulate. Moreover, it will be appreciated that this open channel is relatively inaccessible and difficult to see, so the user may not even be aware if undesired material accumulates therein. Also, if the valve is moved to the closed position while the bottle is tilted, some of the contained beverage may remain above the valve seat and not be visible to the user. This may result in undesirable spillage. Similarly, foreign debris may find its way into the open channel, and such foreign debris may be hidden from the user by the upper portion of the lid assembly.
Therefore, there remains a need for a valved lid for a reusable beverage container wherein the valve is disposed near the top of the valved lid, generally in plain view of the user.
A reusable beverage container having a valved lid assembly is disclosed wherein the valved lid assembly can be alternated between an open position and a closed position by simply depressing the valve. The valve is disposed near the top of the valved lid assembly and is visible so that the user can easily see if the valve is in the open or the closed position, and such that any fluid or debris above the valve is easily seen. The disclosed beverage container avoids the deep, open channel or cavity that is found in prior art valved lid assemblies.
The disclosed valve assembly for the lid comprises a lower body portion and an upper body portion that are releasably interconnected. The upper body portion includes a downwardly facing valve seat adapted to receive the valve, and the upper and lower body portions cooperatively provide a flow path through the valve when the valve is in the open position. An upwardly biased valve is provided below the valve seat, the valve having an upwardly disposed sealing surface that can be moved to engage the valve seat to close the flow path. A gear assembly is attached to the valve, below the valve, the gear assembly being operable to selectively move the valve between the closed position, upwardly biased against the valve seat, and an open position spaced apart from the valve seat.
In an embodiment of the invention, the valve includes an annular, elastomeric sealing element that sealingly engages the valve seat when the valve is in the closed position.
An embodiment of the invention further includes a tumbler having an insulating sidewall, a non-skid base portion at the bottom of the tumbler, and a collar fixedly attached to the top of the tumbler. The collar includes a groove that is adapted to receive corresponding projecting members on the valved lid assembly, such that the valved lid assembly can be removably secured to the collar and tumbler.